The Aesthetics of 2013 Crus

The 2013 Crus turned out to be one of the delicious vintages in my recent memory. The 2013 vintage did not start well and was difficult.  It was cool and grapes struggled to ripen.  As with great wines, the vignerons, who cared their vineyards and not pushed what the vintage had to give, produced beautiful Crus in 2013.  It was so much work in the vineyards that I think the vignerons were exhausted by the time the elevage was finished.

When first bottled, our vignerons themselves did not know how the vintage would turn out. It may be a surprise to readers, but our vignerons themselves do not always know how the wine will evolve. They, of course, have a reasonable trajectory but not always certain. The uncertainty lingered after the wines were first bottled.  After a year in bottles, the Crus evolved to be have what I call ‘French aesthetics’ – pretty and perfumed. The Crus, not lacking intensity, are low in alcohol with stunning nose and freshness. Subtlety and nuances, which I appreciate the most in wines, are abundant in the 2013 Crus. The differences of terroirs are clearly etched in 2013.  I can’t think of another wine that brings so much joy at my dinner table.

Gamay – Celebrations at Dinner Tables

Recently, I had the pleasure to meet a sommelier from Quebec.  She was staying for a few months in our town.  She has worked a few harvests in France with the vignerons whom I respect.  While enjoying a few bottles of wines with her and other friends over a dinner, she blurted out: “Gamay is my favourite.  It accompanies foods so well.”  She went on to say: “Gamay creates an ambiance at a dinner table that no other wines can.” Those are meaningful words that are difficult to describe in words.

With her declaration, I noticed that every bottle on the dinner table was Gamay or a Gamay blend: Noella Morantin ‘Mon Cher’, Puzelat-Bonhomme ‘Le Tel Quel’, Clos duTue-Boeuf ‘La Butte’, Christophe Pacalet ‘Fleurie’, Jean Maupertuis ‘Les PierreNoires’, and Jean Foillard ‘Morgon Cuvee Corcelette’.   Unconsciously, I had brought-up all Gamay and Gamay blends from the cellar for the dinner.

My love for Gamay and Gamay blends know no bounds. Gamay grown in the volcanic hills of Beaujolais and its 10 crus are generally fuller than the Gamay grown on the limestone hills of Loire. Gamay, made with care, has butt-naked exuberance and deliciousness that no other wines can match.  And the prices are so reasonable.

Perhaps, it is the butt-naked exuberance that is translated to the ambiance at dinner tables.  Such ambiance is palpable at my favourite neighbourhood restaurants in Paris: La Nouvelle de Marie, Le Comptoir, Bistro Paul Bert, Le Bratin and Les Pipos.  All restaurants have numerous Gamay and Gamay blends.  Once you experienced such an exuberance evening at one of the restaurants, that joie de vivre will stay with you a lifetime.  Our great local restaurants (L'Abattoir, Pied-A-Terre, Tableau Bar Bistro, La Regalade, Wildebeest and The Acorn - just to name a few) now also carry Gamay and/or Gamay blends from great producers.  

There are more profound wines from other appellations in France, but I cannot think of another varietal that speaks so joyously at a dinner table than Gamay.  Every time my family has a bottle of Beaujolais, Auvergne or Loire Gamay over a meal, I swear there is a hole in my wine glass.  It is empty every time I look at it.

The Quiet Among the Loud – Christophe Pacalet Beaujolais-Villages

Ironically, a compelling Beaujolais-Villages is more difficult to find than a compelling Beaujolais Cru.  For reasons I do not know, finding a tasty Beaujolais-Villages is like trying to find a French word that does not contain a vowel.

Well for one thing, one can write-off finding a Beaujolais-Villages in the Villié-Morgon because there is no classified Beaujolais-Villages in that village of Cru. A story goes that the Villié-Morgon mayor had holdings of Beaujolais-Villages like vineyards when the appellation limits were drawn.  Mysteriously, all ‘Beaujolais-Villages’ like vineyards were incorporated into the Cru of Morgon.  

Perhaps, a great Beaujolais-Villages is a rare find because so much of it is cornered by negoce with depressed prices and poor quality that only a few quality-minded vignerons are willing to grow vines within that classification. When was the last time you tasted a Beaujolais-Villages from a vigneron who gives a shit?

As much as I love a fine Cru, I often like a wine that is delicious without requiring too much of my attention - satisfaction over complexity.  One such wine for me is ChristophePacalet Beaujolais-Villages.

Christophe Pacalet Beaujolais-Villages is from the vines on the lieu-dit ‘Monmont’ on the foothill between the great Crus of Régnié and Brouilly.  Here one can see there is a classified Beaujolais-Villages within the great Crus.

It appears all great vineyards, including Beaujolais-Villages, are named. The ‘Monmont’ vines are over 100 years old, giving elegance so rare in the Beaujolais-Villages. When I tasted the Beaujolais –Villages with Christophe Pacalet at his chai, I had to ask.  It is only when I asked, Christophe Pacalet revealed the details about the vines and vineyard of his Beaujolais-Villages. His Beaujolais-Villages, like the vigneron himself, is the quiet among the attention-grabbing Crus.

Christophe Pacalet Beaujolais-Villages has the prettiest colour – ruby luminescence. Pure and balanced. The wine barely hits 12% just about every year. The wine goes with just about any dish: pizza, hamburger, terrine, steak & frites, roasted chicken or grilled salmon. The wine even tastes better slightly chilled. The wine is cloudy from being unfiltered. Christophe Pacalet Beaujolais-Villages, for me, represents all that is great about Beaujolais. 

A Canadian Mosaic Dinner - A Korean Dish That Actually Works with Wine!

I was born and raised in Korea.  So, I can declare that this dish actually works with a wine.  As much as I like Korean foods, they are full of peppers, vinegar and pickled-flavours.  Kimchi with Bordeaux or Riesling? I don’t think so. The flavours often fight with wines.  So, it is rare to find a Korean dish that tangos with a wine.  Here is my recipe (serves about 4 people).

• About 1 pound of flank steak
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ½ cup of dices onion
• 1 green onion
• 3 table spoon of quality soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of sesame seed oil
• 3 to 4 table spoon of brown sugar
• Dash of black pepper
• 1 or 2 pinch of course grey salt
• 1 cayenne pepper (optional)

First, pour yourself a glass of wine. Cut the flank steak into about 3 by 6 inch sizes.  Set the meat in a non-metal container large enough to hold the meet in one to two layers.  Place the rest of ingredients in a mortar or an electric mixer or blender.   Blend for a few seconds until the mixture is roughly smooth.  Pour the mixture into a bowl. Dip your finger into a mixture (in the bowl and not in the blender/mixer - for safety) and taste.  It should be somewhat salty, sweet and hot with a whiff of sesame seed oil fragrance. Adjust salt & sugar, if necessary.

Mix the marinade well with the meat.  Marinate the meat for 2 to 3 days in a refrigerator. Turn over the meat a couple of times.  The flank steak needs long marinating because it helps to tenderize the toughness of the cut – although it is one of the most flavourful cuts.  Fire-up your BBQ. Meanwhile, place a plate in the oven at 150F to warm and to rest the meat after it has been cooked. BBQ the meat to no more than medium rare.  Place the cooked meat on the plate and into the oven.  Turn the oven off and let the meat rest for about 20 minutes.  Slice against the grain about ¼ inch.  

Good with plain short grain or jasmine rice. Even delicious with baguette or roasted potatoes.  Serve with a salad.  Or how about a pasta dish and some stirred-fried vegetables with the meat.  I am in Canada after all, blessed with riches of ethnic foods – no need to stick to a formula, hey. 

The dish goes well with Cuvee Granit from Domaine de la Pepiere of Marc Ollivier or Crus (Descombes, Foillard or Pacalet). The spicy, sour-cherry Le Telquel from Puzelat-Bonhomme is a fine accompaniment.

The leftover meat makes a wicked sandwich.  Just splash some mayo, hot mustard and instantly-pickled onions (sliced onion with some salt, sugar and vinegar – mix & soak for about 1 hour or overnight).

     

A Bistro Dish in Comfort of Your Kitchen

If you go to the Paris Bistro like Paul Bert, this dish (pictured below) is on the menu.  It is one of Bistro dishes that I like eating when I visit Paris but, somehow, I don’t remember to cook it at home.  So, when I was reading the blog , I immediately, of course, had to try the dish.  By the way, if you like French foods and wines, I strongly recommend the blog by Wendy Lyn – who is ex-pat from Deep South.  I coincidentally bumped into her at another great Paris bistro Les Pipos during my wine buying trip last autumn.

The dish is easy to make and very satisfying.  The richness of cream is cut by cognac.  As Wendy mentions, please spurge and buy a good quality cognac for this recipe.  Remember to reduce the cream sauce for a few minutes to get the right consistency.  Please remember to flambée the cognac away from your stove fan for safety.  Simply move the frying pan away from the element when igniting the cognac in the pan with a match. Pictured left is my version of the dish.

I buy my meat from Famous Foods, near where I live, because the grocer carries organic and hormone-free meats.  While you are there, you can also pick a bottle of cream from Avalon, which comes organic and in old-fashioned glass bottles.

The dish is very wine-friendly.  I usually drink Beaujolais from Georges Descombes, Christophe Pacalet or Jean Foillard.  Try enjoying the wine cool (1/2 hour in the fridge or 10 minutes in the bucket with ice + water will do).  The cool temperature really accentuates the freshness and perfume of artisanal Beaujolais.  In fact, when I visit the winegrowers, they serve their wines cool straight from the cellars.